DSFL | Chapter 86

~Chapter 86~

The Brandon I remembered had a limp. He stuttered when he spoke.

But if Brandon was a Siren, then nothing about him could be trusted. A person who should’ve been dead walking around like nothing happened—it didn’t make sense.

The shadow cast under the moonlight was huge. A cold chill ran down my spine when I saw the masked figure staring directly at me.

“You’re quite rude. Meeting a lady of status without even introducing yourself.”

“……”

“Should I just call you ‘Guest No. 24’ like your nametag? Or would you prefer ‘the murderer who kills children for fun’?”

There was no answer. His masked gaze seemed to drift toward Peril, and it made me even more uneasy.

“Have you found the way out yet?”

That’s when he finally spoke.

“You wouldn’t have stayed here without a guide’s hint. That means someone helped you stay.”

“You went so far as to find the Grand Mage’s name just to hang that necklace around your neck. I guess you really needed a guide, huh?”

“……”

“No use pretending anymore. I was planning to visit the temple soon anyway, so I would’ve seen the priest eventually.”

“Ahem, surely you’re not going to abandon me, milady? I think I’ve proven I’m quite useful today!”

Arkan’s voice echoed in my head.

“Oh wow. So I didn’t even need the mask.”

I let out a short laugh—and then, the man took off the mask.

His snake-like eyes stared straight at me.

The awkward tone he had used before was clearly fake—my mistake.

“Good to see you, Lady Bianca.”

He smiled warmly, like he was greeting an old friend.

“You have the Guide, don’t you? Hand it over.”

“This?”

I casually tapped my bag. Brandon stepped toward me.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You don’t even know how to use it properly.”

“Really? Then how did I make it this far?”

Brandon sighed and scratched his forehead with the handle of his dagger.

“There’s really nothing I like about you. I still don’t even understand why you helped Ailins betray the Empire…”

Just as he reached out toward me, I clutched my bag and ran.

Brandon followed slowly behind, speaking as he walked.

“Bianca. No matter how much you struggle, Ailins is on my side. All that’s left is for her to abandon the Empire.”

Screams rang out from the capital behind us. The ground trembled as if from an earthquake.

“And you’re misunderstanding something. I don’t even care about the guide. You are my target. If I kill you here, at least you won’t get in the way anymore.”

Boom!

Another loud explosion echoed.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

Only when I could barely breathe did I stop running. I thought I had gone far, but Brandon was still in sight. He was walking leisurely, like chasing a toy.

Panting, I met his eyes.

“If the Guide wasn’t your goal, you wouldn’t have shown me the pendant in the first place.”

“Ah, you caught me. I’ve never been good at lying.”

He had already gotten closer.

“But it wasn’t completely a lie. You can’t recover the guide from someone’s memory, anyway.”

“Well, that’s good. Then I guess it’s no problem if you kill me.”

He stared at me for a moment, then turned toward the direction of the capital.

“…Do you hear it? Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I hear it loud and clear.”

“The people here remembered Ailins. That will become the fuel for her to reclaim her name.”

Brandon smirked, bowing slightly.

“I wanted that result too. The process may differ, but the ending’s the same. To escape this place, Ailins has to become part of the memory. But because of you, she’s stuck in it even longer.”

“If the process is different, how can you be so sure the ending is the same?”

That seemed to strike a nerve. He clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth.

“You’ve got a talent for making people angry.”

“……”

“I can’t kill women. That’s the last bit of knightly honor I have left.”

He tossed the dagger in front of me.

“So… how about you take your own life?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Too harsh? Maybe I should join you. That way it’s fair, right?”

“……”

“We’ve got plenty of time until this memory ends, so dying together while we wait doesn’t sound so bad. Wow, I’m a genius.”

Brandon laughed and praised himself like a maniac.

I watched the growing shadow behind him and picked up the dagger.

“Fine, let’s do it.”

“Knew you’d say that. Adventurers always get each other.”

As he reached for the dagger—

“Close your eyes.”

Ricardo’s voice rang out, and blood splashed across my cheek.

“Urgh!”

Brandon gasped, looking down at the sword that had pierced his body. Ricardo, cold-eyed and furious, kicked him aside.

Still not satisfied, Ricardo glared into the air before turning his gaze on me.

“Why did you go alone? When you suddenly disappeared while I was following you—!”

“This isn’t real. Even if I got hurt here, it wouldn’t matter in the real world.”

I hadn’t chased after Peril recklessly. I believed that if I carried his fate, it would open a new path—and maybe he’d escape this memory too.

It was a logical decision.

“…So you acted like that because this isn’t real?”

“Why are you so angry? I’m not hurt! Even if I was, it wouldn’t matter!”

Suddenly, a magic circle surrounded Brandon. Startled, I stepped back and saw Ailins approaching.

“…Are you hurt?”

Her voice, filled with urgency, came as she bound Brandon in place. I wiped the blood from my cheek and shook my head.

I didn’t need to ask if everything was okay—her relieved expression said it all.

After a pause, Ailins finally spoke.

“I don’t think this was the best way.”

“But it wasn’t the worst either.”

Her eyes widened at my words, then she smiled and nodded.

What if this had been real?

As that foolish thought crossed my mind, Arkan spoke.

— Lady, do you know what a Guide truly is?

It was something I’d always wondered. I never expected Arkan to bring it up on his own.

— A Guide records every step humans take into books. Those records become a single timeline—a fate.

‘…And then?’

— Those books are sent to the Library. There, you can borrow them, and even correct errors in the Guide’s records!

We can edit the records?

— I want to show you that path. I’ve waited a long time for someone who could correct my mistakes.

His voice was full of hope.

I didn’t fully understand yet.

— But don’t worry. Someone who walked that path with you is already waiting!

At that moment, Ricardo approached with a tense expression.

“Promise me.”

“…?”

“Promise you’ll never do this again.”

I wasn’t planning to refuse. But Ricardo didn’t wait—he grabbed my finger and made me stamp it as a seal.

“Alright, alright. I promise.”

Only then did I see how pale he looked.

He seemed like a worried child.

‘Feels like I just gained another grandpa…’

Suddenly, everything around us went dark. Like I had fallen into the depths of the ocean—silent, yet strangely easy to breathe.

A warm hand reached down and pulled me up.

“…!”

When I opened my eyes, I heard a familiar voice.

“It’s been a while.”

It was Peril.

I stared at him, stunned. He smiled jokingly.

“Oh, I suppose I should call you something different now.”